Dawn's Embrace
by Ange de l'eau
Summary: Sequel to 'The Day I Died': Bella's problems are not over. Now, with the breaking of the treaty, Bella is in more danger than ever. Not to mention her strange abilities which put her at risk. Can their love, however pure, survive it all? EdwardIsabella
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

_'Lady you bereft me of all words,  
Only my blood speaks to you in my veins,  
And there is such confusion in my powers.' _

A haze broke through the darkness that surrounded me. Slowly, it cleared, revealing... voices? My body felt as heavy as lead, but my mind was still in working condition, thank goodness. The voices were just a low muffle, however, I found that when I concentrated on them, they seemed to become clearer and sharper. So much clearer, that I could actually hear what was being said.

"Do you think she's all right?"

"I don't know. It has been three days already..."

"What if something has gone wrong? You heard what Carlisle said, didn't you?"

"Yeah... something's obviously wrong with her. There's no way something like that could happen."

"Would you all stop being so pessimistic? Bella is going to be fine."

"How would you know... unless you had a vision?"

Something was wrong? But what? I tuned those voices out. I felt fine; unless you counted the immobile state I was currently in. Something cool blew onto my face. It was like a chilling breeze in those rainy and windy days.

"I'm fine." I mumbled, barely moving my lips. Finally, I had some movement under control. A strange sound hit my ears, and I realized after a moment that it was laughter – to be more specific, Edward's laughter. I forced my stubborn eyes open; with the force of will I did not know I had. At first, all I saw was darkness, but as my eyes slowly adjusted to the lighting, a familiar face came into view.

"Edward." I croaked, my throat dry from the lack of water. I tried to throw my arms around him – 'tried' being the cooperative word here. The only thing I managed with that movement was to lift my head off the couch, wince at the soreness in my arms and drop back down again. I was not sure if I were supposed to even be feeling soreness – well, I _was _a vampire now, wasn't I?

Upon seeing me, he smiled, immediately brightening up the dimly lit room. I then realised that it was actually in the night now. Still smiling that crooked smile of his, he sat on the edge of the couch and pulled me into his arms. "Bella. I'm so glad you're all right."

"Why wouldn't I be?" I replied, my voice coming out a little muffled with his shoulder blocking my mouth.

"Well, you see..." He hesitated, deciding to tell me the truth or not, I guessed. "There were some complications in your transformation."

All at once, the happy atmosphere in the room disappeared. "What complications?" I asked tersely. I could hear that the voices that were talking just now were completely silent now. I was well aware that everyone in the whole house could probably hear this conversation.

He struggled to find the words to answer my question. "Well, Bella... Carlisle himself isn't too sure... he says it's probably not very... umm..."

I have never seen him like this before. Edward was not one for stuttering. I looked into his mesmerising eyes, and then it hit me. I couldn't believe that I didn't know what was going on before. It was so loud, now that I was concentrating on the sound that it was making. The regularity of the thumps it was making filled my ears, soon becoming quicker and quicker as my mind processed this bit of information. How could life be so cruel to me?

"Edward, why in the world is my heart beating?" I jumped out of the couch in shock, a movement faster than anything else I have had in my life. What was the meaning of this? I stood, trembling in the middle of Edward's room. I hugged myself tightly as I listened to the beatings of my supposed-to-be-non-existent heart rapidly increasing with each passing second.

In a matter of seconds, Edward crossed the room and pulled me into his chest again. Even his heavenly scent that was filling my nose in exquisite sharpness did nothing to calm my pounding heart this time. "Don't worry. You'll be fine."

Even though he did not say anything else, it sounded as if he was trying to convince himself rather than trying to convince me. He rocked me gently in his arms for a moment before the door flew open, revealing Edward's whole family standing outside in the doorway. I could feel Jasper sending calming waves into the room, but it did nothing to help my agitation, only succeeding in making me more anxious.

Even in this state, it surprised me too see Rosalie's beautiful face creased in a look of concern for my well-being. Carlisle stepped in and motioned for us to leave the room. "I think it would be better if we had a discussion downstairs instead of this rather small room – no offence, Edward."

It was weird that he was cracking jokes at a time like it. And you know what was even weirder? I actually laughed – although it came out sort of like a choking sound. Everyone else cracked a smile, although their eyes were still filled with worry for me. Edward led me downstairs, to the living room. Once everyone was settled in the sofas – and me in Edward's arms – Alice begin speaking.

"Bella, are you feeling all right?" Her eyebrows creased together in worry.

"I'm fine, I think." I tried calmly. That joke really did help. "But I would still very much like to know why my heart is still beating? Does that mean I'm a vampire, or not?"

"So anxious to be dead, huh?" Emmett joked, earning laughs and glares from different family members.

"It's not funny, Emmett." Rosalie said seriously, smacking him on the arm. "This is not the time to be saying this sort of things."

"Ouch..." He moaned in mock drama, clutching his arm. "How could you do that to me, honey?"

Rosalie frowned at him disapprovingly and turned to Carlisle. "Carlisle had a few ideas on why..."

Nodding, Carlisle said, "Okay, there's no need to panic, Bella. I've been through a few books and I still can't find anything relating to your current situation now. However, your heart's ability to beat is what I suspect to be your so-called 'powers'. Like Edward can mind-read and Alice can see the future..."

I struggled to take all of this in. "So you're saying that my heart beating is something like Edward's ability to read minds?"

Esme nodded. "Something like that. It must be because of your link to humanity – you know, Charlie and Renée – that played a part in giving you that ability. It would seem that although you are a vampire now, on the outside, perhaps to werewolves and other vampires and don't know about your abilities, you still would seem to be a human to them."

"Great." I muttered. "There was something wrong with me as a human. And now there's something wrong with me as a vampire. God, I'm a freak. I can't even be a proper vampire." I wailed, covering my face with my hands. As I felt Edward's arms wrapping themselves tightly around my waist and his lips touching my hair, there was also a not too subtle snickering in the background.

"Emmett..." Edward growled from beside me, and at once, the snickering stopped. A loud smack resounded throughout the room and a soft chorus of 'sorrys' was heard. I had to thank Rosalie for that. It was strange how nice she was being to me. "Don't say that, Bella. You are not a freak at all." Edward protested in my ear. "Not to me, at least..." I could practically _feel _him grinning as he lightly kissed the hollow beneath my ear.

"Distracting me is not going to help, you know." I mumbled into my hands.

Chuckling in the way only Edward can, he gently pulled my hands away from my face. There was no denying his iron strength even though I was a vampire now. I looked down, embarrassed before plucking up the courage to look up at everyone else in the room. All of them looked vaguely amused, though Emmett, in my opinion, looked kind of sulky. Esme was smiling in a very motherly way, gazing lovingly at Edward then at Edward's hand entwined with mine.

"Oh no." I gasped, struck by a sudden thought. "Charlie." I stood up quickly and made my way to the door, but before I could even take a step forward, an iron grip was around my wrist, tugging back onto the sofa.

"It's all right, Bella. I called Charlie and told him that you were staying over for a week." Carlisle smiled warmly as he looked at me.

"And he agreed?" I asked incredulously.

"Not at first." Carlisle hesitated. "But after some explanation..."

"So Bella can stay for a week?" Alice chirped happily, seeing that I was in no danger now. Although I could not read minds, I knew what evil plans she had for me. At Carlisle's nod, she squealed happily, launching herself from beside Jasper, across the space between the two sofas and threw her arms around me. "This is fantastic! We could go to Seattle and shop there! You know the great news, Bella? There's this mall in Seattle that has a twenty-four hour shopping experience thing. I was thinking that we could go there at dawn and shop till the next day, literally!" She gushed.

My eyes widened in horror. Shop for twenty-four hours straight? Alice has got to be kidding me. But the scary gleam told me she was far from joking. "No, no." I shook my head in obvious terror. With my exceptional hearing, I could hear the calm beatings of my heart increasing and increasing. "Save me, Edward." I managed, my throat ridiculously dry.

At this, everyone burst out into fits of laughter, even sulky Emmett. Jasper laughed and stood up, reaching out for Alice and pulling her into his lap. "I suggest you stop that, love. Or, if you push Edward's darling wife –" At this, his grin widened considerably. "– Too much, you might be hunted with a hatchet the next time we go hunting." Everyone laughed even louder after that, and I could feel my cheeks turning a deep shade of red.

"That's if I don't see it first." Alice protested, pouting at her husband, who just chuckled and kissed her on her cheek.

"Jasper's right." Edward smirked, his arms tightening around my waist. At my pleading look, he continued. "Maybe shopping for a few hours, but definitely not for the whole day. I'm not sure, but Bella might need to..." He trailed off as he frowned and looked at Carlisle. "...Sleep."

Talking about sleeping...

I yawned loudly, suddenly feeling exhausted. Carlisle nodded. "In some ways, Bella is still like a human. I suspect that she might still need to sleep and perhaps, eat normal food. You should get some rest. It has been a long night for you." The last part was directed at me.

"Not to worry, Bella. I'm sure Edward will let you rest in his room..." Emmett drawled, sporting an evil smirk. Barely contained laughter could be heard throughout the room. "Though I'm not too sure whether there will be a lot of 'resting' in this house tonight."

Edward glared at him. "Shut up, Emmett. Bella needs to rest." Giving him a dirty look, he stood up and carried me out of the living room. I leaned into his chest, successfully hiding my blushing cheeks from view.

"Goodnight, Bella. See you in the morning." Alice said cheerily from her spot on Jasper's lap.

"Night." I muttered, burying my burning face deeper into the folds of Edward's shirt. Sooner than I expected, I was been settled down onto Edward's black leather couch. He stood up. "Where are you going?" I asked, hands grasping at the ends of his shirt. I very much wanted his company tonight.

"Relax, Bella." He gave me a dazzling smile. "I'm not going anywhere tonight. Nor tomorrow. Nor the day after. Remember what I said on the topic of me leaving?" He fiddled with the buttons on his music player and pushed in a CD. Immediately, the lullaby that he wrote for me was being played.

The soothing notes pulled my tired eyelids close and almost on the way to sleep, I muttered. "That you are not going anywhere?"

Cold, hard arms wound themselves around me and cold lips were pressed against my forehead. "That right, sweetheart. I'm not going anywhere. At least not without you, Bella."

* * *

Sunlight filtered through the window and the sounds of the birds chirping merrily outside could be heard. I sat up sleepily, rubbing my eyes with the backs of my hands. A blanket was wrapped around me, presumably to keep me warm despite Edward's chilly temperature. I turned to the side and was greeted with a peck on the lips. 

"Morning, Bella. Had a nice sleep?" Edward smiled, stroking my cheek with one of his hands.

"How could I not? With you hugging me all night." I grinned at him.

He sighed heavily.

"What are you thinking about, Edward?" I asked concerned. I reached out and put my hand on his cold cheek. It was strange that I still found it cold.

His eyes met mine. "About biting you." He said darkly. His golden eyes darkened to an ocher colour. Edward sat down on the edge of the couch, his back facing me and his elbows propped up against his knees. He took a deep breath and shuddered visibly. "That night, I was so afraid that I couldn't stop... that... that I'd continue sucking you dry. That even Carlisle might not be able to save you then. The thought that I would be the one who killed you myself... it was terrible." He closed his eyes and carried on. "And you moaning in pain... it was impossible to stop drinking. After so many years thirsting for your –" His eyes snapped up and met mine. " –Blood, it was so difficult to stop but..."

"You did stop, Edward." I said proudly, sitting up and pulling him into a tight hug. "That's why I'm still here. And if it weren't for you, I would be rotting in a cemetery now." I could see his face harden at the thought. "I'm not upset with you for changing me, Edward. It's what I always wanted, remember?"

"Yeah... to be a blood-sucking monster."

I frowned at his answer. "No, to be with you for eternity."

He sighed again. "What would I do without you, Bella?" The corners of his lips lifted.

"Hmm..." I pretended to think as I tapped a finger against my chin. "Maybe you could go back to doing whatever _boring _things you were doing before you had the fortune to meet me to brighten up your dreary existence." I grinned at him.

He raised an eyebrow at me. "So you think I'm boring now, do you?"

"How interesting can a guy from the nineteen century be?" I said with a laugh.

He shook his head at me. "You've had less than a day of immortality and you're already bored of me. The cruel fates must really despise me." He let out a dramatic sigh and placed his hand on the left side of his chest. "You wound me, Bella."

I snorted. "That's hardly wounding at all."

There was an evil gleam in his eyes and he smirked – a terribly frightening smirk, if I could say so myself. Not that I was going to tell him that, of course. He put his hands on my shoulders and lowered me onto the couch again. With his face right in front of me, I could clearly see his smoldering gold eyes. "You were saying something, love?" His sweet breath fanned across my face as he stroked my cheek.

I was glad to see that being a vampire did not alter how I smelt things – they just heightened it. And apparently, Edward knew it as well. "Yes..." I breathed in deeply. It was absolutely sinful that someone could _smell _this good. It was unfair to the rest of society in the world.

"Something about me being very boring, I should think?" He played with some strands of my hair, twirling around his finger. Then, he leaned over and gave my cheek a cold kiss.

I shuddered involuntarily and let out a breath I had not known I was holding. "Yes... About you being boring and –" My breath caught as he pressed his icy lips to my forehead.

"You were saying?" The smirk on his face became more pronounced.

"Yes..." I said breathlessly. I could hear my heart pounding louder and louder before I finally tuned it out. "You were being –" I found that my throat closed up once his kiss drifted down to the corner of my lip.

"I was being?" He murmured against my skin, his cool breath tickling my lips.

"Boring and –" The rest of my sentence – if I was coherent enough to string them together in a sentence – disappeared as he pressed his wintry lips against mine. We could have continued kissing if not for an interruption by a highly amused Alice standing at the doorway, looking at us with a raised eyebrow.

Edward pulled away with much reluctance and turned to Alice. "Why didn't you knock?" He demanded.

"Oh, I did. But it's just that you were to busy with... certain activities that you didn't hear the knocking." She answered innocently, a grin on her pixie-like features.

Come to think of it, I thought I had heard some soft knocking sounds. But they just did not register in my head. I was being too... distracted. Of all times Alice had to come in, she had to do it right at this moment.

Edward must have realised it too, for he growled at her. "What do you want?"

"I just came to see if Bella wanted to use a new change of clothes and perhaps, a shower." She grinned at my blushing cheeks.

"I could use a shower." I mumbled, wriggling out of Edward's arms and standing up. Still blushing furiously, I ran to Alice's room and locked myself in the bathroom. The clothes she chose for me were already hung up on the door. I splashed some water onto my face to cool down my burning cheeks. It was then I decided I was going to take a very, very long bathe.

By the time I came out of the shower, everyone was in the living room already – even Edward. I laughed inwardly as I heard their topic of conversation. It must have been Alice who started it.

"Don't fret, Esme. Edward's better than fine today."

"Shut up, Alice."

There was a loud, exaggerated sigh. "Edward's being a grouch just because I walked in on them smooching in the morning."

A few giggles escaped. "I wish Bella was here." There was another sigh. "She seems to be the only one that can stop the irate monster on stomping and squishing us."

"Keep pushing this, Alice – and you'll see that I'm not the only monster around. I would advise you to keep out of Bella's way when she freaks out."

"Thanks for the advice, Edward. But I can see the future, remember?"

There was a low growl – Edward's, perhaps? Then a tinkling laugh. "Don't push Edward too far, Alice. Remember what happened the last time?" I guess Rosalie was referring to the things he smashed when I was having the 'vote' on my mortality.

That was when I decided to make my grand appearance. Toweling my hair dry, I walked down the stairs. Apparently, I did not lose my clumsiness and sighed in relief when strong arms lifted me off the floor just when my face was a few inches away from it.

"Thank Goodness you're immortal, Bella." Alice cried.

"Yeah," Emmett grinned. "Fate would probably be so disappointed at all its failed attempts to try and do you in."

I laughed. "It's a miracle that I survived all these years then." At that moment, my stomach growled. "I'm hungry." I announced. "Do you have anything to eat?" I looked around the room hopefully.

"Umm..." Emmett frowned. "There's some deer outside now." He said looking out of the window helpfully. "If you want them, you better be quick, they might run away soon."

"Err..." I hesitated. "I was not talking about, well, umm... eating deer. I was referring to some cereal or something."

"Cereal?" Emmett's eyes widened.

"I don't know. It's just that deer does not sound too... appealing at the moment." I looked to Carlisle for an explanation of this odd occurrence. I was a vampire – wasn't I? My abnormal speed and hearing proved that – then why was I eating cereal?

Carlisle nodded. "This is part of your... abilities. You are able to survive on human food – though I'm not too sure if you would need to drink blood at all."

"This is great!" Rosalie cried, jumping from her seat. I was startled. Since when was Rosalie like that? "I get to practice my cooking skills. And you can sample my food!" She told me with a grin.

I almost laughed at the reactions of everyone in the room. Emmett's eyes were widened in horror and as Rosalie went to the kitchen he motioned to me and told me something in a low voice.

"Don't eat it." He said, shaking his head so vigorously that I feared it might just drop off. "The last time anyone sampled her food was half a decade ago and from what I have heard, the person was sick for a month after eating what she cooked. I mean, I know you're a vampire and everything, but it's definitely better to be safe than sorry."

Edward nodded at me for confirmation. "I don't think you should eat it, Bella. Unless of course, you are suicidal."He said with a smirk.

Alice and Esme sighed and got off their seats.

"Although I hate cooking, I'll do it for you, Bella." Alice trudged to the kitchen where some muttering was heard. "After all," she poked her head out of the doorway. "You are coming with me to Seattle, to shop, right?"

"Do I have a choice?" I answered grumpily.

"No." She grinned and then disappeared into the kitchen.

I sighed and leaned into Edward's arms. I had to suffer hours of torture just for one good breakfast prepared by Alice and Esme. But I had to admit, they were exceptional in cooking.

Half an hour later, I found myself seated at the edge of my seat, breathing in the heavenly smells that were wafting to my nose. Jasper, Carlisle and Emmett had vanished a few minutes ago and Edward and I were the only ones in the room. Alice waltzed in, carrying a plate of scrambled eggs.

"There you go. Happy eating!" She went back into the kitchen. "There's more coming out, Bella." She called.

"You sure this food is safe?" I asked Edward, who chuckled and nodded at me.

"Anything prepared by Esme and Alice is as safe as it can be." He kissed me on the forehead and stared deeply into my eyes. His hands were on either sides of my face. Uncertainty flickered in his eyes and his smile turned to a frown.

"What's wrong?" I asked, just as Alice came in with another plate of food.

"Your eyes," he frowned. "They are still the same brown."

* * *

A/N: What do you think? 

This is sort of a sequel to my one-shot _The Day I Died_. It is possible not to read it and read this, but of course, if would be best if you just read the one-shot.

And here's the good news people: This is a chaptered fic! Yay! I have to thank all the reviewers for their words of encouragement, for, if not for them, this would have never been written at all. Their reviews inspired me to write a chaptered Twilight fic, as I usually write Harry Potter fics.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it and I promise to post the next chapter as soon as possible.

Happy Christmas!

Please leave a review; they are like presents to me! (:


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2 **

_'A wretched soul, bruised with adversity,  
We bid be quiet when we hear it cry;  
But were we burdened with like weight of pain,  
As much or more we should ourselves complain.'_

There wasn't much of a difference between the me now and the me before, well, you know, the transformation. Well, now I still have a heartbeat, a pulse, a lack of the purplish bruises under my eyes, a need to sleep and the ability to eat human food – so I'm pretty much the same as before unless you counted the fact that my brown eyes can change to gold when I'm in an especially good mood and to black when I'm upset. Edward had wasted all his time worrying and dreading changing me, really. I mean, there wasn't really much of a difference, was there? Apart from the fact that I was faster, saw things better and smelt things better, I could easily pass off as a human. Unless of course, I was really upset or really happy, then my eyes would be a tell-tale sign.

Right now, I was ready to bet that my eyes were definitely the darkest shade of black possible.

"Bella?" Alice called from the main door below. It was no louder than how she would have talked to someone in a normal conversation but all of us knew that I'd be able to hear it perfectly. "We're leaving for Seattle now."

"I'm coming." I grumbled, deciding to delay it as long as I could.

"Why does it have to be now?" Edward muttered, irritated. He was currently twisting a few stands of my long dark hair around his finger.

"If you had backed me up, I wouldn't be forced to do this now." I said, standing up and smoothing the creases in my clothes. "So don't complain."

"You know how hard it is to dissuade Alice from something she has already decided to do... And she's dead set on bring you to shop." He gave me a 'what-can-I-do' shrug.

"Remind you of anyone?" I said acidly. "It does seem to run in the family, doesn't it?"

"Don't be mad, Bella." He gave me his famous dazzling smile. "Look on the bright side, at least I'm going with you."

"Since when were you the optimistic one." I snorted in disbelief, although my tone was gentle.

"Bella!" Alice called for me again, screeching as loud as she could this time. "Don't make me drag you down here!"

"Coming!" I called back. Giving Edward a dirty look, I hurried down the stairs where Alice was waiting for me. To no one's surprise, I tripped on the last step and would have fallen and broke my nose – that's if I could – if Edward had not caught me at the last moment. There definitely were perks living in a houseful of vampires. He gave a light-hearted grin, which made my irritation at the shopping trip dissipate quickly. Edward then held my hand, and led me through the door. Alice was already starting the engines in her car. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught her glowering at me, but I paid it no attention. Her irritation at my lateness would soon vanish as soon as we reached the shopping centre – I had first-hand experience.

The trip to Seattle was a blur, with Alice driving faster than I could take. I sat, staring straight ahead and tried not to look at the blur of trees outside my window. I was sure that if I saw that, I would throw up my breakfast. Edward, realising my discomfort, beamed at me and pulled me into his chest. His eyes were the lightest golden today, I noted. He must have gone out hunting when I was asleep.

I remember that I was never one to wake up from my sleep in the middle of the night – unless due to nightmares – but now, even though I was still asleep, I could hear the slightest sounds that were being made in the room. And I heard the sounds of Edward's footsteps as he left the room in the middle of the night, only to come back around dawn. They did not bring me to hunt with them, as I was reluctant to live on animals' blood when I was happy enough eating normal food. Though I knew that I had to try and drink animals'blood one day, everyone else and I were more than happy to let it be for now. Strangely enough, I did not thirst for blood of any kind – not even humans' – which was good. It must have been my aversion to human blood before I was changed that have caused this. That was fantastic – because it meant that there wouldn't be the temptation for me to resist.

"We are here!" Alice chirped, feeling happier as soon as she reached the car park of the mall.

I looked around. I had not been here before. It must be a new shopping centre. "What do you mean by 'here', exactly?"

"You know the twenty-four hour shopping experience place? Yup, we are there." She proceeded to get out of her car and closed the door.

Edward helped me out and after locking her car; Alice began walking to the shopping centre. Let me just tell you this; inside the shopping centre was not a pretty sight at all – at least for me. There must have been thousands of people in the shopping center, mostly women, of course. The few unlucky men that were there were just huddled in a corner, talking. When we came in, I saw them glance up sympathetically at Edward and then return to their conversation. The place was packed with people – it was like being a sardine squished together in a small can. I had no doubt Alice was going to get it from Edward when we got back home. Hang on, did I just think of Edward's house as my home? Well, one part of my head said, you _are _married to him, after all. But then again, shouldn't Charlie's house still be my home, at least for now? Yes and –

"Bella." Alice gushed, breaking through my thoughts. She was holding a dress right in front of me. I hadn't noticed that we had entered a shop already. Man, was she fast. "This looks great on you! Don't you think so?" She directed her question toward Edward.

Edward smiled. "Anything looks good on her, Alice."

Alice gave a wide, wicked smile. "That's good to hear." Then her smile, if possible, became wider. "Here, Bella. Go try these out." Saying that, she dumped a huge pile of clothes in my outstretched hands.

"But... but..." I tried to think up of a decent excuse, at the very least.

"No buts, Bella." Alice said sternly, shaking her finger at me. She then took me by the shoulders and gently but firmly led me to the changing rooms.

I gave up. Resigning myself to my fate, I sighed morosely. "All right." Alice was right. The clothes did not look too bad on me – in fact, they looked good. But what was _not _good about it was that I had to change out of the clothes, put now a new set of clothes and then open the door and model – well, not really model, just standing – in front of Alice and Edward. It was so frustrating. Imagine how long that would take with the whole pile of clothes Alice just dumped into my hands? Right, you get my point.

The late morning and afternoon dragged on. I was starting to get hungry – for real food, mind you.

"Alice, I'm hungry..." I whined incessantly for the fifth or six time. Edward had long disappeared somewhere, leaving me to suffer here. He was going to pay for it tonight, that's for sure. I could tell she was starting to get annoyed – which was good as that meant I would be free soon. Ah, freedom...

"Just try on this last set of clothes and we can go to another shop." She sighed.

"Another shop?" I was sure my heart stopped for a moment there.

"No 'another shop'." Edward said sternly to Alice, suddenly appearing on her left. "Not until Bella has her food." Thank Goodness, my saviour has finally arrived.

Quickly, I changed into the other set of clothing, modeled for Alice and changed back into my own clothes. I was desperate to leave the shop and eat something. My stomach growled, as Alice was paying for the clothes – a whole load of them – and leaving the shop. "It doesn't like you." I said to Alice, pointing to my stomach.

"Good, because I don't like it too. It really ruins a shopping trip. I guess that's the downside of being a human, huh? Not being able to shop in peace without getting hungry." Alice frowned in displeasure.

We walked through the crowd, with my looking for a nice place to eat something. "Bella!" Someone called me from behind. I turned, and so did Edward and Alice. It was Jessica and Angela.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, pleasantly surprised to see my other friends.

"Jessica, Angela." Edward greeted stiffly, as Alice did the same.

"We are shopping!" Jessica cried. "We stopped by your house this morning to see if you wanted to come with us, but Charlie told us that you had gone hiking with the Cullens." She eyed Edward suspiciously.

So that was what Carlisle had told Charlie.

"Well," I said, trying to think up a lie as fast and as convincing as possible. If she had any suspicions, I had no doubt that Charlie would hear of it by tonight. "We decided to come back a little earlier." I put on a good smile for the effect.

"Oh." Angela said. "What was it like?" She asked excitedly.

I was confused. "What are you talking about?"

Jessica laughed, an extremely high-pitched sound that hurt my now sensitive ears. I wondered how Edward and Alice were taking this. A quick glance told me that they were just standing slightly behind me, silently waiting for this conversation to end.

"The hike, silly." Jessica giggled again.

"Oh." Why didn't I think of it before? Maybe shopping left my mind in a daze, "Umm..." I tried to think of what I had seen the last time I went hiking – which was years ago. "It was great. Everything was, well, green. Lots of plants and flowers."

She laughed again and I resisted the urge to cover my ears with my hands. "What did you do there?"

What did people do on hikes, anyway? "Well," I tried confidently, waving my hand in the air. I laughed, trying to sound as natural as possible and at the same time, I noticed an edge of hysteria in my laughter. Hopefully, no one would notice that. "We –"

Apparently, someone noticed, and it was Edward. He stepped in, trying to rescue me. "I'm sorry." He said, putting his arm around my waist. "But I'm afraid that we're in hurry and have to leave now. Goodbye."

Jessica stared at him. "All right then. See you soon, Bella. Edward, Alice. We could catch up sometime. I'll call you." She said uncertainly.

"Bye, everyone!" Angela smiled at us. I knew I always liked her the best. Then, they turned round a corner and left.

"Phew." I breathed a sigh of relief. When my head cleared, I playfully hit Edward on his arm. "You didn't have to be so rude to them. They were just trying to make conversation."

He frowned at me. "So this is what I get for helping you out of that sticky situation? Maybe the next time, I shall leave you to your own devices." He said, jokingly.

I gave him a small smile. "We both know what you won't, right?"

"Won't what?" Evidently, he decided to play the 'innocent' card.

"Edward..." I chided, giving him a severe look.

"All right." He laughed, giving up. "I won't 'not' help you out of sticky situations the next time. Happy?"

"Very." I laughed, planting a kiss on his cheek. "Can we go and find something to eat now? I'm starving."

"Something for _you _to eat, you mean." He laughed, touching the tip of my nose.

I was about to reply, then I blushed, realising that Alice was still there. She was grinning – a perfectly wicked grin. I cleared my throat uncomfortably, while Edward – who did not even seem a tad bit embarrassed at all – just gave me an amused smile. Urgh, vampires were frustrating. But wait, I was one too now – so I'd better stop with all that 'vampires are this and that' nonsense,

After walking around for a few minutes, I settled on a restaurant nearby. When I was hungry, I wasn't picky with my food and just ate anything edible. Hence, when the menu was being given to me, I just picked out the first thing that was on it – spaghetti. Edward and Alice, annoyed at being in an enclosed area with food all around them, decided to leave me on my own to eat while they explored some obscure corner of the shopping centre.

"Are you sure you don't mind?" Edward asked, standing up. I could tell that he was not breathing at all, and neither was Alice. What was wrong with the food smells, they smelt delicious – well, to an unusually ravenous me, at least.

"Nope. Of course not."

"All right then. See you when you're done, Bella." He gave me a kiss on my forehead. "And try not to do anything dangerous, please."

"I'll _try_." I grinned. Waving to me, he went off. Before I could even blink, both of them had completely disappeared. Wow, they must really hate the food smells. But Edward did not seem to mind at home... maybe because it was more concentrated here, with so much food here.

I waited for the food to come impatiently. How long does it take to cook one measly plate of spaghetti? A vivid flash of red caught my eye. What was that? I turned in the direction that I saw it, but only to see the doors with led to the kitchen on the restaurant. Did I imagine it? The redness of it reminded me of something... Victoria. I shook my head, trying to knock that crazy thought out. It was impossible. Impossible. Maybe the hunger was getting to me. Yes, that was it.

I tried not to think of those depressing and horrifying thoughts that usually came to mind whenever I thought of Victoria, instead, focusing on more important things – like what was I going to do now that I was a vampire? Was college even an option for me? I couldn't think of how to explain to my teachers and friends as to why I did not look older as each year passed by:

'Umm... I went for a facial surgery to make me look younger." Or, 'You know, now that you ask, there's this really amazing brand of skin revitalizing cream where it makes to look so much younger. I mean, look at me!'

I shook my head. No, definitely not those. Maybe Edward had some ideas on that. I made a mental note to ask him later.

I sighed. My food was not here yet. God, were they trying to kill me unknowingly? I could imagine the Volturi sitting on those chairs of theirs and hearing the news: 'Master Aro, I have some news for you. You know that girl, Bella. When she became a vampire, she discovered she had the ability to eat human food. So, one day when she was out shopping with Alice, she was starving and went to a restaurant to get some food. Brace yourself for the bad new, Master. Well, you see, that thing is that she died of hunger, while she was waiting for her spaghetti to arrive...'

I tried to control my laughter. I wouldn't want someone to be thinking I was crazy, when I had my doubts on my sanity already. How could just a mere half an hour of Edward's absence do this to me already? Maybe I _was _that pathetic.

A hand right in front of my face broke though my thoughts. Again, the streak of redness flashed out of the corner of my eye. I looked in front of me and the waitress placed the plate of food with a metal cover on it onto the table. I didn't bother to look at her at all. Then, as I was to reach out and lift the lid, a bone-chilling voice shocked me, whispering horrendous words right into my ear.

"Your days are numbered, Bella. Watch out."

Cold breath blew into my ear and I shivered involuntarily. It was not Edward, or Alice – I knew that. But what if the redness I saw was not my imagination, but reality? What if the streak of red was not just 'nothing', but a streak of red hair? This felt like one of the nightmares I had, except this time, it was real.

I know who it was at once, without needing to turn and look at her – Victoria.

Just the same, I turned, bracing myself for her evil smile and her eyes, bent on revenge. But, to my surprise, no one was there. I frowned, was _that _another one of imaginations again? But it sounded and felt so real...

It was real. It had to be, since the plate of food was sitting in front of me. Mustering all of my courage, I lifted my plate with shaking hands, still trying to get over the shock. Instead of the spaghetti that I had expected, only a piece of paper lay inside. There's nothing to fear, I tried to encourage myself. You _are _a vampire now, aren't you? Nothing could be worst than being dead, right? And I already was, so what was there to fear?

Forcing my shaking hands to still, I reached out and snatched the piece of paper off the plate. The plate was ice-cold, I noticed. That was weird. With my heart thumping so loudly that I wouldn't be surprised if Edward and Alice heard it from wherever they were, I read the note.

_Revenge is a dish best served cold. _

That definitely proved that my 'hallucinations' were real. And now, I had no doubt as to who it was from. I needed to find Edward and Alice – now. And probably Jake too – to tell him that Victoria was back.

I tried to rise from my chair, but I found that my legs would not obey me at all. Looking down, I noticed that the note was shaking – and then that was when I realized that it was not the note that was shaking like a leaf, it was me.

No, I could not freak out like that. If Victoria was here and seeing this, she'd probably be relishing this moment – that a simple note from her could instill such fear in me. I had to calm down. All right, a deep breath in, a deep breath out. That felt great – I was starting to feel better already. These meditating methods surely worked well for me. I was calm enough to look up now.

And there, right at the entrance of the restaurant, was Victoria. Her red hair was flowing gently under the air-conditioning. Her face was just as I remembered. Her lips were shaped into an impious smile. She raised her eyebrows at me challengingly and as quickly as she got there, she was gone. I forced the air in and out of my nose, in a successful attempt to breath. Although I now did not need to breath, it was just a way to help me calm my pounding heart down. I found that now, even after seeing Victoria with my own eyes, I had the strength to stand up – albeit shakily.

Where was Edward now? Did he know that Victoria was here? I tried to reduce the amount of questions running through my mind. I could only take so much at once. If I was worried about finding Edward, I need not be, for before I even took a step forward, he appeared at my side, pulling me out of the restaurant as fast as he could without attracting attention.

"Edward." My voice came out as a gasp. "She's here."

He glanced at me briefly and before I had the chance to explain who exactly was there, he answered shortly. "I know. Alice saw her."

There was no doubt on the 'her' Edward was referring to.

"Alice is waiting in the car." He said, and dragged me off to where Alice was waiting in her car. Within a few minutes, we were in the car, already driving away from the shopping centre.

Once we were in the car, Edward instantly wrapped his arms around me. "Bella, are you all right? Did Victoria hurt you?"

"No, I'm fine." I mumbled, my face buried in his granite shoulder.

"Tell me what happened in the restaurant." He commanded.

And I begin to speak, telling Edward all that had happened – the hunger in my stomach forgotten. When I finished, Edward asked for the note, and I gave it to him. As I passed it over, my sense of smell now detected a strange faint scent lingering over it. Come to think if it now, I had smelt it in the restaurant too, but I hadn't noticed it as I was to hungry. That must be Victoria's scent. That was good news, at least I could tell whenever she was around now.

Edward brows creased upon reading the note. His golden eyes darkened considerably. I could feel him seething in anger. He crushed the note with his iron hands easily, opening the window and with unerring aim, threw it right in the middle of a tree we were speeding past. The force of the impact was so great; it left a dent there in the bark. "She is going to die." He growled angrily, raising the hair on the back of my neck. "Now."

Alice looked back at him from the mirror overhead her. "What did it say?"

Edward repeated the note's message and watched as Alice's expression change as well. She nodded. "She's going down." She said seriously. "But, not now."

Edward glared. "But she _will_, eventually. And I'll be the one burning her shreds." He turned to me, his voice a little gentler. "You'll have to stay here for a few more nights. I can't risk having you at home. She might go looking for you there."

"But what about Charlie?"

"Call him and make up an excuse. It's for his own safety anyway. If you are there, he will be involved too."

As always, his cool logic irritated me. I wanted to be sure I was there to protect Charlie, but Edward was right – if I was there, she would come looking for me, and I could not have that happening. "Fine." I crossed my arms over my chest.

"It's for _your _own safety too." He retorted.

"I know." I answered shortly. I turned my face away from him. He sighed. And gently, with his hand, pulled my face to face him. He brushed his lips across my forehead, across my cheeks, my nose and finally, my lips.

"I love you, Bella." He murmured, his lips pressed against mine.

That simple statement did it – it dissipated all my frustration at once. I sighed, content that he was holding me so recklessly close to him. "I love you too, Edward."

The rest of the trip back was in silence, I was lying in Edward's arms occasionally straying in and out of the depths of sleep. The shopping trip, the going in and out of the dressing room and the lack of food really tired me out. I could hear Alice and Edward muttering; probably making plans on how to deal with Victoria. She didn't scare me so much now – being in Edward's mere presence seemed to cure everything. The idea of Victoria coming for me was like an old nightmare – long forgotten.

Once, Alice made a phone call on her cell phone, but I was too dazed to make out much of it. Soon, the steady hum of the car's quiet engines lulled me to sleep.

* * *

I woke up, something hairy tickling my chin. Looking down to see what it was, I found that it was actually hair – bronze-coloured hair, to be exact. Edward's cheek was pressed up against the left side of my chest, listening to the beats of my heart. A smirk crossed his face as my heart thumped faster, my brain registering the notion of what Edward was doing to me now. 

"How was your sleep?" He asked, without moving his face an inch at all.

"Fantastic, considering I woke up with a handsome man pressing his cheek against my heart."

He chuckled, and I could feel his chest vibrate against my own. Sighing, he said, "You know something, Bella? I'm glad you have this ability – the whole 'link to humanity' thing. Remember the time when you asked me why I didn't want to change you, and I told you it was because I didn't want you to become a monster and all that? That's not the whole story, actually. Well, the other part to the story was that I was being selfish." He sighed in contentment. "I did not want to give up one of my favourite hobbies."

"You mean, listening to my heart?"

Edward nodded, and breathed in deeply.

"You are a very selfish person, Mr Cullen." I chided him playfully.

"I know that, Mrs Cullen." He flashed me a smile full of innocence. "But don't you love me for it?"

"Of course I do."

"I'm glad. It seems as though each of us have gotten what we both wanted, don't you think?" He added after a thought.

"What do you mean, Edward?"

"Well, you wanted to be changed by me, and you got that. I wanted you to marry me, and I got that as well. I also wanted to be able to listen to your heartbeat, watch you sleep, see you blush scarlet when I tease you, watch you as you eat your breakfast... and although I thought I would be forsaking all those things when I changed you, by some miraculous means, what I wanted came true." He explained.

"You are right." I agreed. "Maybe it's meant to be like a gift for you – for all the good that you have done, or at least tried to do. It's like we got everything we wanted, well maybe except peace – since Victoria is back for me now."

"Yeah, maybe... You _are _my salvation, Bella. I truly believe that. Without you, this... existence of mine would be a living hell. Don't worry; Victoria will not harm you in any way at all. I'll make sure of that."

"Who said I was worried?" I said jokingly. "I trust you, Edward." I lay my cheek on the top of his head, reveling the sensation of his smooth hair rubbing against my cheek. "And I trust that all this Victoria business is going to work out smoothly somehow – and without anyone getting hurt, well, maybe except her." I added after a second thought.

He sighed again, with satisfaction, as I reached out and cupped his cheek with my hand. "She's not going to exist much longer, believe me. Then, we can all stop breathing the air which she has tainted by breathing out."

I nodded then said hesitantly, "Edward, umm... I think I should tell Jake about this."

"The werewolf?"

"Yes..." I hoped he would not get mad at me bringing up Jacob's name. They did not like each other – no, that was too mild a word – they hate each other to the core of their very being. And that feeling was mutual. Although, upon seeing Jake, Edward could take better control of his emotions better. I had no idea why there was such abhorrence between werewolves and vampires – I mean, both were mythical, right? If not for me, and the treaty, and the fact that Edward was indebted to Jake for saving my life, they would have probably fought each other to death by now. Edward went very still, and I hoped I had not ruined the moment.

"It's a good idea." He said after a while, to my surprise. "I'll drive you over tomorrow. As for now, it's time for you to go back to sleep, Bella."

I nodded, still stunned at his answer – though I was pleased with it, nonetheless. Kissing the top of his head, I greeted him goodnight as I drifted back to sleep almost immediately. "I love you."

* * *

A/N: My longest chapter in all my writings yet. Comments, please. 

Thanks to: **_1stepbehind29, SeaBloo, days-of-elijah, Dare to Love, Asquared91, TheSlyGuyIsMine._**

You know what you should do; review!

P.S. And you know what's the funniest thing? My name is Victoria. Really, I'm not kidding. Haha.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

_'I'll sing it one last time for you  
Then we really have to go  
You've been the only thing that's right  
In all I've done _

And I can barely look at you  
But every single time I do  
I know we'll make it anywhere  
Away from here'

I wondered exactly why I was doing this. It was not exactly on the top of my to-do lists, really. I watched nervously as the car sped past the dark green long line of trees, my stomach was churning in uneasiness and if this car ride did not stop soon, I was sure I was going to puke. And the speed at which Edward was driving at, did not do anything to help either – it just made things worst.

I fingered a sea-green cell phone in my hands fretfully – the one that Edward had just given to me in the morning. Apparently, that was what he was up to when he disappeared when I was in the restaurant yesterday – his plans to surprise me didn't work so well though, with Victoria popping out of nowhere. The cell phone was of the most expensive and latest model. I usually did not accept such expensive gifts from him – Edward still felt very confused as to why I did not like him showering me with extravagant gifts and bringing me to expensive restaurants to eat – but this time, Edward had _insisted _that I take it and besides... the phone was really really... nice... So I decided to make an exception this time.

"Bella, I want you to be careful, all right? These werewolves, they are not like us at all – they have no sense of control. Anytime you anger them, they can just lose control and phase into a wolf and..." He flinched. " – Endanger your..."

"I'm a vampire now, remember? And unless I have forgotten some very important fact, I thought vampires couldn't die."

"I don't want to risk anything, Bella."

I sighed. "I know, Edward. I promise I'll be careful, okay?"

He grunted in acknowledgement. I could tell that he was not too happy about my decision to inform Jake and the others.

"Edward, if you are so unhappy about this, why didn't you tell me not to do it yesterday night?"

He raised a skeptical eyebrow at me. "I'm not as naïve to think that just because I told you not to do it, you would listen to me even though you are already set on that decision. Am I right to think that way?"

"You know me too well, Edward." I said, a small smile forming on my face.

"Of course I do. I have to, in order for you to be my wife." He said matter-of-factly.

"That's true." I giggled, leaning over the space between the two seats and giving him a peck on the cheek.

"That's what I get for risking my neck to drive you here?" He pouted at me innocently, whining like a toddler who did not get the toys that he so badly wanted. "Only a little peck on the cheek? That's all?"

"You'll get more if you behave later." I grinned. Great, now, to stop the fight, I was resorting to bribery – even if it was bribery that I did not mind that all.

His face turned serious. "Bella, I can't go in there with you."

"Why not?" I asked, then I realised what I was missing. "Oh... the treaty..."

He nodded. "So you'll have to go in there yourself – I don't think they will know that you've... changed. My whole family agrees that you don't smell or look any different from before the transformation. Even Jasper agrees, though he does not have the urge to... well... eat you now. So play the part, please. Be safe – scream if anything goes wrong, I'll be there in seconds, treaty or no treaty."

"I'm glad I don't look like a piece of chocolate cake to Jasper now." I laughed, and then said, in a more serious tone, "Nothing wrong is going to happen, Edward." I assured him.

"You obviously don't know what werewolves are like." He said darkly.

"Of course I don't know what werewolves are like. I'm not a century year old vampire who has nothing better to do than read up on werewolves."

"Hey!" He retorted. "I most definitely do _not _read up on werewolves. I have better things to do than that." He answered me sourly, miffed.

"Yeah, right. Like what – sleep?" I said sarcastically.

"Watching _you _sleep. It's very entertaining. And there is nothing else I'd rather do than that."

"How about listening to my heartbeat, then?"

He frowned, perplexed. "They all tie, actually. It's difficult to figure out which one comes first on my 'what I love to do to while time away' list."

"They all have something to do with me, I suppose?" I rolled my eyes.

"Naturally." He smirked.

"And I thought that I was the one with the obsession. Seems like the situation has changed."

He chuckled. "So you're not obsessed with me now?" His tone was light, but his eyes were carefully scrutinising my reaction.

I laughed, giving him another kiss on the cheek. "I'd say I have become more obsessed, if it were possible."

He smiled his crooked grin at me – my favourite one. "I would say the same for me too." He stopped the car. "We are here."

I nodded, getting out of the car. I caught the worried look on his face and reassured him yet again. "I'll be fine, Edward."

He nodded warily. "Stay safe, Bella. And I'll be listening." Edward tapped himself lightly on the forehead.

I was not sure if he was referring to his mind-reading abilities or the fact that he could probably heard what was being said in Jake's house with no problems. Shaking my head slightly, I blew him a kiss – to which he responded with a huge grin – and then made my way to Jake's house.

It was exactly the same as before. But now, with my heightened senses, I could pick out different scents in the surroundings. I could smell Billy, a very old scent of Charlie to show that he had been there, and that the pack – including Jake – was currently running around in the forest nearby. Somehow I knew where Jake was now, but nevertheless, not to arouse suspicions, I made my way to the door to ask for Jake. Billy opened it on the second knock.

"Hello. I'm here to see Jake. Where is he?"

Billy regarded me calmly, as if he knew this was going to happen – that I was going to come knocking at his door, looking for Jake. "He just went out for a walk nearby. Jake should be around here – he went that way." He pointed to the direction in which I could smell Jake's scent.

"Thank, Billy."

"You are welcome." He said gruffly. "And tell Charlie I said hi."

"No problem." I answered, smiling. I began walking down the path, hands in my pockets. Soon, I heard some growling noises coming from the direction I was facing in. Judging by the sounds, they were about a ten minutes walk away. The noises sounded playful, and not in the least threatening at all.

I increased my walking speed slightly, jogging – in human speed, of course – towards the sounds. Slowly, they grew louder and louder, till I came upon a clearing with a few gigantic wolves play-fighting in it. The whole pack was not there, but I knew Jake was. A dark-coloured wolf was sitting in its haunches, watching the rest playing. At my presence, they immediately glanced at the dark brown wolf and loped away – leaving Jake and I alone to talk.

"Hi, Jake." I was slightly surprised to see him in his wolf form, but I, for some reason, could sense that he was not a threat to my safety now.

Jake bobbed his head up and down; his eyes twinkling as if he said hi back to me too. I examined him critically, knowing he could feel my eyes examining him. He had dark brown fur, which glistened in the limited light. He was huge – bigger than normal wolves. His long, fluffy tail lay on the forest floor, twitching occasionally. As if he could sense my nervousness – he most probably did – he suddenly tensed up, his whole body alert and his ears pricked.

"Well, I must say," I said calmly, trying to dispel the obvious tension in the air. "You look good, Jake. Better than before. You should consider staying in this form forever – much more handsome." I laughed.

He relaxed at my words and made this weird choking sound, which, I thought, was his way of laughing in this form. His tail started thumping enthusiastically on the ground with such force, it made the surrounding leaves fly up to the air for a few moments. He had examined me too, and I could tell that he was pleased and satisfied with how I looked – still human.

If only he knew how wrong he was. I was glad I had this 'ability', or I wouldn't be here conversing with Jake, my furry best friend, at all.

"You don't know how cute you look, Jake. Like those adorable fluffy baby wolves." I teased him.

He growled at me playfully.

"Is that all you can say when you have not seen me in such a long time – just thumping your tail and growling at me?"

His only reaction was to thump his tail even faster and to make that choking sound again. I giggled. "How about a hug, Jake? For your best pal in the whole wide world?" I was glad he was not upset with me for the... events that had occurred in the months before. I held my arms wide open towards him and knelt down. I had my doubts on whether he would do it for not, but he stood – making that choking sound which was his way of laughing – and cautiously padded over to me.

He was watching my face for my reaction and it took no effort at all to keep that smile on my face, really. I had missed Jake a lot. He walked over slowly, probably trying not to alarm me and seeing if I really was not scared of him and wanted to hug him. Slowly, he came to my outstretched hands and looked into my eyes, as if to warn me again.

I made no motion to move, and just knelt there on the ground. He came nearer, and I could feel his silky fur beneath my fingers. Finally, I could not keep still any longer, and threw myself at him. Wrapping my arms around his neck, I buried my face into his fur. Breathing in, I remembered something strange.

Alice had said that werewolves smelt bad to vampires – for some unknown reason – but to me, Jake smelt perfectly fine, but not as good as Edward though. I had not noticed it before, but he smelt of wood, forest, lakes and plants. Not a bad scent to me at all.

Suddenly, before I knew it, tears were streaming from my face and soaking into his fur. "I missed you, Jake." I sobbed.

He stiffened in shock for a while, and then nuzzled my shoulder in reassurance.

"Why didn't you come and see me? I missed you so much." I continued, rambling on and on till my tears finally stopped. It wasn't tears of sadness I was crying out – it was tears of joy. I was so glad to see Jake again. At the same time, it was tears of guilt and sadness too, for unknown to him, I had become the thing he hated the most – a vampire.

I pulled away to look at his face, furiously blinking back the last remnants of the tears. "Jake," I smiled at him. "It's so good to see you again." It felt so good to be hugging him again – the warmth of him made me feel so safe despite the reason in which I had come to talk to him about. From my position, I could see his tail wagging frantically. I laughed, brushing my hand through his fur.

I pulled back and knelt down as he sat on his haunches too. I wanted to delay the moment – not wanting to destroy the happy atmosphere – but Edward was waiting and the news I wanted to tell him was really urgent. I smiled at him again and then, with the smile on my face faltering, I said what I came here to say. "Jake, there's some bad news."

He immediately tensed up.

"Victoria is back. I saw –" Before I had the chance to finish my sentence, he rose quickly and leaped away, into some bushes nearby. "Jacob, wait! I have not finished. Please, Jake. Don't go."

There was some rustling in the bushes and suddenly; Jake's human form emerged. "I'm not going anywhere, Bella." He looked slightly amused at my reaction then his expression lapsed back into a serious look. "Victoria's back?"

I nodded wordlessly.

He crossed the distance between us and hugged me tightly. "Where did you see her?"

"In Seattle. I was shopping with –" I stopped then, realising it was not a good topic to get on.

"With?" He raised his eyebrows. "The Cullens, I suppose." He muttered sourly.

"With Alice." I insisted, glad that he had not called them by his usual term – bloodsuckers.

"So your boyfriend must know that you came here to tell me this." He sneered.

"Yes, Edward knows. As a matter of fact, he drove me here."

His eyes widened. "He's here?"

"Well, not exactly. He drove me half-way and I walked the rest of the way."

"Oh, for one moment, I thought he had forgotten the treaty."

It was my turn to frown at him. "Edward would never forget it." Edward would not forget it, but it didn't mean he would abide by it – but Jake did not need to know that.

"Of course Edward wouldn't." He said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Please don't be like that, Jake." I pleaded and his eyes softened.

He nodded. "I'll tell Sam the news. And we'll tighten security around Forks. Isn't the bloo– Edward going to do something too?"

"He and his family are bringing me to Alaska soon – just for a while, till Victoria is taken care off."

He nodded again, apparently happy with Edward's plan. Then, he frowned and stared at me, remembering something. "He isn't going to do anything to you there, is he?" He asked suspiciously.

How could Edward do _that _to me, when it was already done? But I answered him, nonetheless. "When I return, I promise you that you'll see me just as I am now." I was pleased that I had some up with an answer to that question without lying – it made me feel a tad bit better.

"That's good to hear." He sighed. "Will Charlie know where you are going?"

"No, I'm going to tell him that Alice is injured and I'm going to stay with the Cullens for a while." I hesitated. "That's where you come in."

"Who planned this?"

"Umm... Edward did." I answered truthfully.

"He included us in his plans?" Jake's eyebrow was in danger of disappearing above his hairline.

"Uh-huh..."

He took a minute to compose himself. "I'm glad." He said finally. "He's waiting for you in the car?"

"Yes." I was not sure where this conversation was leading to now.

"I'll walk back with you." He volunteered.

I hoped that he was not going to start a fight with Edward now – that was the last thing I needed now – but I decided to give him the benefit of the doubt. "Sure."

We walked back in companionable silence. I told him what I was up to for the past few months and he, in turn, told me what he was doing too. Much to soon, we reached where Edward's silver Volvo was located.

Edward raised an eyebrow at my company, but at a look from me, his face melted into an unreadable expression. I reached for the car door and opened it nervously; unsure of what was going to happen now. And that was when Jake did the unthinkable.

"Edward," Jake began, and I involuntarily tensed up. I could see that Jake was gritting his teeth. "On the behalf of my pack, I would like to thank you for –"

Edward interrupted him before he could continue any further. "No, it is I who should be thanking you." He said smoothly. "If it were not for you and your pack, this plan of mine cannot be executed."

I was stunned. All these sudden gratitude was scaring me.

"But, you must know, that we are only doing this for Bella's sake." Jake continued calmly, not showing any response to what Edward said.

"Of course." Edward inclined his head. "I know that."

Jake opened his mouth and turned to me. "You should get going." He nodded his head at Edward.

I smiled at Jake. "I know. You know something?" I asked. "I'd better see you at my place once all this is over." I added sternly.

"Or else?" He smirked, raising an eyebrow at me.

"Oh, I'll leave it to your imagination." I said mysteriously.

He grinned at me. "Remember your promise, Bella."

Guilt seeped through me. "I will, Jake. And please take care of Charlie for me while I'm gone."

He nodded once. "I will. See you soon, Bella."

I reached out to hug him. "Don't worry, I'll be back to see you." I whispered in his ear.

"Exactly the same as what you are now?"

"Absolutely."

I got into the car. "Bye, Jake." Closing the door, I waved to him. And saw him wave back as Edward sped away.

"So... do I get at least a real kiss first?" Edward waggled his eyebrows at me suggestively.

"Watch the road, Edward." I smacked him gently on his arm. "And you won't be getting a 'real kiss' while you are driving, that's for sure."

"Still afraid of my driving?" He mocked.

"Very much so. What was that all about, anyway?"

"You wanted me to behave, didn't you? And I did." He added proudly. "So I better get my reward soon."

"At home."

"Sounds good to me. Although I would really appreciate it if you took a bath before you kiss me. Hate to break it to you, darling, but you stink." He wrinkled his nose and edged as far away from me as the seat would allow.

"I don't stink!" I cried, sniffing my hair. It smelt of strawberries.

"Yes, you do. You smell like them..."

"Jake? Jake smells all right – nice, in fact."

Edward gave me a look to show that he was sure I had gone insane. "Whatever you say, love."

"Edward!" I cried, I glared at him with my voice going up an octave or two. "I most definitely do _not _stink!"

He just chuckled at me, eyes never leaving the road.

* * *

"Hello, Dad?" I was on the phone, with Edward sitting beside me on the couch. Esme, Emmett, Rosalie, Alice and Jasper were out hunting. And Carlisle was at the hospital. So basically, we had the whole house to ourselves. 

He picked up on the fifth ring. "Hello?"

"Hey, Dad... this is Bella."

"Hi, Bells. How was the hiking trip? Did you have fun?"

At least he was not asking for the details. "Yeah... it was fun. But..." I paused, trying to inject the anguish in my voice. I hated lying to Charlie, but this was for his own good. "Alice had an accident."

"Is she all right?"

I could tell from his tone that he was extremely worried about her. Charlie was extremely close to Alice; she was like another daughter to him. I feel the surge of guilt for deceiving him. Sensing my guilt, Edward pulled me into his arms, laying his head on my shoulder. "She's not all right, Dad."

"What happened?"

"Alice –" My voice broke at the effort it took to lie to Charlie. "Alice – she tripped and rolled off the slope, knocking her head onto a huge rock."

"Oh my Goodness." My father cried frantically. "Where is she now?"

"She's over here, Dad. Carlisle's attending to her here. He said that it would be more convenient and comfortable for her. By the way, can I stay over for more days to look after Alice? They might need my help."

"Of course you can. I'm going down to see her right after work."

My eyes widened in surprise. I had not expected Charlie to say that. "What?" Edward, beside me, sat up too, listening intently to the conversation.

"I'm going to see Alice after work. I have to see if she's all right. You know, Bella. Ever since you were injured, with the cast, and Alice came over to help, she has been like a daughter to me. I cannot tolerate the idea of her being injured and I'm not there."

I paused. "I know, Dad." I sighed, as Edward's jaw dropped.

"Could you please tell Carlisle I'll be over in the evening? I doubt he'll mind, but it's still polite to inform him first." Judging from Edward's expression, I suspected he was forming a plan.

"Sure, Dad." I knew there was no dissuading my father now. "Be careful, all right? Love you."

"I love you too. See you in few, honey." The he put down the phone.

"You heard all that, didn't you?" I asked Edward.

"Yup."

"So... what are we going to do? Put Alice on a bed with a bandage around her head?"

"I'm thinking..." He said, tapping his head. Suddenly, he stopped. "That's a good idea. It just may work." He leaned over and kissed my forehead. "You, my dear, are a genius."

"Thank you." I giggled, thinking of Alice's reaction to my brilliant plan. It was payback for all the tortuous hours in the shopping centre. Payback felt so good.

* * *

A/N: Ahh... Another chapter down. So, what do y'all think? Send in your comments, please. 

To _cryptic-yet-simple_: Hehe. That's a good question you are asking. We shall have to see, don't we? I would reveal MAJOR SPOILERS to my story if I answer this question straight-out.

Applause for: **_GoodyGoody23, Addie W., cryptic-yet-simple, Asquared91, EDWARD CULLEN dazzles me, 1 step behind 29, ShadowJumper, twilight8ec._**

Until next time!

Happy 2007!


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4 **

'_I only want to be the man  
To give you everything I can  
Every day and every night  
Love you for all my life.  
I don't want to change the world  
As long as you're my girl  
It's more than enough,  
Just to be the man you love.'_

"I cannot believe I'm actually doing this." Alice grumbled angrily, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Well, believe it, for it's certainly happening." Emmett chuckled humorously.

"I wish I had seen this." Alice muttered crossly in return and I stifled a laugh. "Then I could have escaped to India, or something."

"Like you could, Alice." Rosalie laughed, watching as Carlisle wrapped a long bandage around Alice's head.

"Besides," I added, smirking. "It's the least you could do for Charlie since he considers you to be his _daughter_, you know."

Alice shot me a glare – adding new meaning to the phrase 'if looks could kill', for if it were true, I might have been dead by now. "I know you are doing this as payback for all the shopping."

I blinked at her. "Yes." I said unperturbed, not repentant in the least.

"Shopping is for your own good, you know."

"Right. And how does it help? By increasing your stamina?" I said sarcastically.

"Good answer." Alice nodded, despite the fact that she was supposed to be angry with me. "It also helps by getting rid of what humans call 'money'."

"Why would anyone want to get rid of money?" I frowned. "Then what's the point of working for it?"

Alice sighed and shook her head. "Bella, Bella, Bella. Money is just something that we all accumulate when you live for centuries – it cannot be helped. And not working will just only attract people's unwanted attention. Besides, we cannot just throw wads of money into the bin, can we? The nosy neighbors will probably send us to a mental institution, and God knows how much I don't want to ever go there again."

"Okay..." This was really strange – talking to someone about throwing away money. "So, I guess it's a good thing they invented banks, right? I mean, I wouldn't want to see what state this house would be in if there were no banks."

"Of course. But then, there would be all the more reason to shop." Alice grinned at the idea of more shopping.

I sighed. "Just remember to play the part properly, Alice."

She glared at me again. "Do I have a choice?"

"No." I grinned at her, mimicking what she had said to me when I had asked her the very same question just a few days before.

"Charlie will be here soon." Edward interrupted.

"How long?" Carlisle asked, immediately speeding up his movements.

"Five minutes, maximum. It seems like he has left work early and sped all the way here."

"It's a good thing I'm a vampire then." Carlisle smiled, wrapped Alice's head up in a bandage so fast, his hands were a blur.

I looked around the room. Rosalie and Esme were already gone. They were supposed to go over to Charlie's place, pack my bags for me and remove any traces of my scent so that it would not lead Victoria there.

Edward was, as usual, correct. In exactly less than five minutes, I could hear the knocking on the door.

"All right." Carlisle told Alice. "Just lie there and look grievously injured."

Alice rolled her eyes. "Joy." She muttered, and settled herself into the bed, trying to look as sick as possible. Jasper was beside her, kissing her briefly on the lips.

"At least you get to work on your acting skills, honey." Jasper smiled at her. "It has been a long while since your debut in London."

Alice giggled; sitting up swiftly and kissing him back on his lips. Then, she plopped herself onto the bed, rearranging her expression to a more appropriate one. Jasper wiped the smile off his face instantly, looking very somber.

"I must say, Alice is looking very realistic at this moment." Edward mused, eyes on his sister. "The red paint on the bandage is very convincing."

"Thank you." I curtseyed. "It's good to know my handiwork is greatly appreciated." He smiled at me, making my heart flutter loudly. He smirked at me as he heard that. I was the one who was brave enough to risk Alice's wrath and set up the 'props' for the evening. I could hear Carlisle and Charlie conversing in low tones as they walked up the stairs now. Alice opened her eyes for a moment to roll them at me before shutting them the moment Charlie opened the door. I could feel Jasper giving out waves of worry to make the situation seem more realistic.

Charlie immediately rushed to Alice's side. "Is she going to be all right?"

Carlisle put on his professional doctor's tone. "She should be, in a few weeks time. But right now, she needs plenty of rest."

Charlie breathed a sigh – a pretty audible sigh, in my opinion – in relief. "Thank Goodness. I was so worried about her."

Carlisle gave a half-smile. "I know."

"When is she going to recover?" Charlie asked, sitting down beside Alice. I looked up and Carlisle at once. This answer was going to determine how long we could be in Alaska.

"Probably a month to recover fully. She has hit her head pretty hard against the rocks."

A month. I had a month to be in Alaska. I felt slightly more at ease now. Surely Victoria could be easily taken care of in a month's time? After all, we did not need to sleep, did we? Well, maybe except me.

"Poor Alice." Charlie sighed. "I'm sorry, but I didn't bring anything with me – no flowers, no food. I came straight from work."

"It doesn't matter, Dad." I spoke to him. "I'm Alice would like you to earlier than later but with flowers and food." _Goodness what Alice will do with the food... Maybe she might even be forced to eat it, under Charlie's watchful eye. _

I laughed inwardly, glad that Edward could not read my mind – or he would burst out laughing uncontrollably for sure.

Charlie nodded, eyes on Alice. In the dim lighting, she looked even sicklier than ever. The rays of moonlight emphasised the paleness of her porcelain skin, and as she lay there on the bed, unmoving, it was hardly impossible to believe that she was sick and injured. She looked so breathtakingly beautiful and yet... so weak and vulnerable. I didn't think I had seen Alice like that before.

Jasper was beside her, holding her hand and gazing at her sadly. He would make a very good actor – and imagine all the girls that might be going crazy over him if he went to Hollywood. Alice would have a hard time keeping the crazy fans away and knowing her, the female population around the world might drastically decrease.

Charlie stayed till past midnight, and finally, Carlisle managed to persuade him to return home.

"Bye, Dad." I stood at the door, watching him get into his car. He had allowed me to stay with the Cullens till Alice got better – which, according to Carlisle was in about a month's time. Charlie had thought it was a good idea that I should spent time with the Cullens, since – he thought – I was going to marry into the Cullens family soon. If... something bad happened, this was the last time I would ever get to see my father. "Be safe, Dad. I love you."

He turned around and smiled at me, giving me a smile. His eyes crinkled up in laughter as I ran towards him and hugged him tightly – but not too tightly, though, or I could have suffocated him. "I love you too, Bells. See you in a month's time. Take care of Alice for me, all right? Remember to call."

"Of course I'll, Dad."

"Take care of my girl for me, Edward." Charlie told Edward, who was standing beside me, a small smile on his face.

"Don't worry, Charlie. I will." Sincerity rang in his every word.

Charlie nodded and got into his car. I stood, at the porch, waving non-stop – watching the car's retreating shadow as it faded into the night. Edward wrapped his arms around my waist and leaned his head onto my shoulder. He did not have to be a mind reader to know what I was thinking about now. "You worry too much, Bella." He dazzled me with a brilliant smile. "We'll surely be able to come back and see Charlie again."

"I hope so." I said doubtfully.

"We will." He insisted, taking me by the hand and leading me back inside the house. Once inside, I saw Alice walking down gracefully, untying the bandage around her head at the same time.

"Hey!" I cried. "Don't take it off. I spent hours putting the whole thing together."

"Now you know how I feel when I buy you clothes and you don't wear them." She said, with a smug look on her face. "But seriously, Bella, I cant go walking around in these –" She pointed to the thick bandages around her head. "– And I can't possibly walk around in these, people will think I've gone nuts and what's worse than is that I'd be a walking fashion disaster."

It was typical of Alice to say that. I sighed, shaking my head at her. "Is that all you think about – shopping?"

"Of course not." She shook her head innocently. "I think about a lot of other things, like keeping you safe, remembering to tell Edward my visions before he throws another fit again –"

"I do not throw fits." Edward scowled at her.

"Right." Alice replied sarcastically. "And I'm the Queen of America."

I quickly changed the topic, before a fight broke out – or a brawl, considering Jasper would come to Alice's rescue anytime. "I must say Alice, on a scale of one to ten, I think your acting skills rate ten."

Alice was immediately distracted, thankfully. "Really? That's good to hear! The last time I acted was in London and the director told me that I was great – revolutionary." She ignored Edward's sudden wrecking coughs.

"Of course you were 'revolutionary', Alice." I smiled at her. "I'd have to agree with the director after seeing you today."

She gave a happy squeal. "I'm going off to tell Jasper!" Then, in a flash, she bounded off.

Edward frowned at me disapprovingly. "You shouldn't encourage her."

"Why not? She loves acting, and everyone – including vampires – needs a little encouragement once in a while." I was puzzled.

"No." Edward shook his head vigorously. "Unless you want to be forced by Alice to act out some weird play with her for the whole time till she gets over it."

"I heard that." Alice called from her room.

"Has it happened before?" I asked curiously, with Edward taking my hand and leading me to his room.

"Yes." He muttered uncomfortably, and if he could blush, I was sure he would have done so then. He looked at me in the eyes for a moment, gauging my expression. Then, after a moment, he sighed and plopped himself gracefully onto the couch, head in his hands. "Alice made us act in one of her plays before. She claimed that it will help us by entertaining us lest we die of boredom." He snorted in disbelief at that. "As if we can."

I was genuinely interested now. I pushed his hands away gently and settled myself into his lap, resting my head on his granite shoulder. "What was the play about?"

He hesitated, and then said. "The Three Musketeers."

I burst out laughing uncontrollably. "The Three Musketeers? Oh my, what was Alice thinking?"

"At last, a rational response." He chuckled.

"So, who were the other two Musketeers? Jasper and Emmett?"

"Of course." Edward rolled his eyes. "What did you expect? Carlisle?"

"It's hard to imagine Carlisle in those ridiculous outfits and waving a sword around like a manic." I laughed.

"And it's easy to imagine _me_ in them?" When I didn't answer, he growled playfully and tackled me to the floor.

* * *

"Okay, Bella. Are all the things that you need in there?" Rosalie handed me a huge bag, but I lifted it up easily, as if it weighed just a few pounds. I checked through them hurriedly. "Yes. Thanks, Rosalie." 

"No problem." She flashed a brilliant smile at me and got into the driver's seat of the car. I still needed some time to get used to Rosalie's niceness.

"All right." Esme called from the other car. "Is everyone in the cars?"

There was a chorus of 'yes' and we were off. Carlisle had suggested that we take Rosalie's car because she could drive the fastest. If I was afraid of Edward's driving, I was most certainly terrified now. I'd give my whole bank account for Edward to be the one driving now. I forced my eyes to be on the floor, certain that if I were to look up, I'd throw up my dinner.

Rosalie looked back at me, and seeing my expression, she assured me, "Don't worry, Bella. You are going to be safe from Victoria. We're all here to protect you, and besides, we'll speed up when we get to the highway." I averted my eyes from the speedometer. After all, ignorance was bliss.

My breath caught in my throat. "Speed up?" I choked, as Edward rubbed my back reassuringly. I could feel my head spinning uncontrollably already.

"Yes, did you expect me to drive at _this _pace?" She scoffed, eyes returning to the road.

I was sure that Carlisle's car was far behind us already, with Rosalie driving like a manic. I buried my face in Edward's chest, instinctively wrapping my arms around him. "I take back my words." I muttered, trying very hard not to whimper in fear. "Your driving is not that bad anymore." Of course everyone in the car heard, and they all chuckled humorously, except me. "I think I'd rather take Victoria right now."

Emmett laughed harder as Edward pulled me recklessly closer. The scent of him on his shirt did wonders on my throbbing headache.

"Just close your eyes and try to sleep, Bella. It would be easier for you that way." He said soothingly, kissing my forehead. "Goodnight, love." I nodded, trying my best to fall asleep. It was all too easy, with Edward holding me like that.

I awoke to Edward's rhythmic breathing and watched in contentment as my hand, which was lying on his chest, rose up and down with each breath that he took. I knew he was not sleeping, but merely closing his eyes and pretending to. I continued staring at him quietly – I knew that he knew that I was awake. But still... My hand reached out and delicately stroked his cheek, then gently brushed past the purple bruises under his eyes. Over his eyelid and slowly down his perfectly shaped nose. Then finally, my finger made it's way down to his faultless lips. Just as I reached the corner of his lips, his eyes swept open and connected with mine. Caught in the act, I flushed deeply, just as he pulled my lips to his.

I heard them before I saw them and the passionate kiss was over before they opened the door.

"We are going hunting." Edward said, eyes on mine.

"Could I come along?" I asked, not wanting to be left alone in this unfamiliar state. I waited for him to disagree but instead, he said yes.

The door opened and Alice came in. "I think it would be better if Bella came." Edward told her. "It's not safe for her to stay here alone. And someone cannot stay with her in the house this time – we are all thirsty."

Alice nodded. "It should be safe, with seven of us out there with her."

"Good, then let's get going." Edward handed me a jacket and I proceeded to change before leaving the room after Edward.

"What are you doing to hunt?" I asked.

"Anything we can find." Jasper answered me. "We're not going far today."

"How are we going to get there?" I couldn't help being excited about hunting, although it was surely going to be gruesome – I was sure I'd just watch and not participate, anyway.

"How do you think?" Edward laughed at me, ruffling my hair. I looked around and everyone else was already gone – out of the door. "We are running."

In the end, I ended up on Edward's back. I had wanted to run, but Edward had insisted that he was to carry me since I was unfamiliar with this place. I had not even tried running in vampire speed at all – it was not fair. I watched as the trees past me in a blur. Somehow, this did not affect me as fast driving did. I was glad I had managed to fall asleep in the car.

Edward stopped somewhere in the forest and I could see the rest of the Cullen family in the distance. There were plenty of deer around, one even hovering quite close to me. There even was a stream nearby. "Why don't you just sit down the tree branch over there and cover your eyes? I'd be here to watch you – as everyone else would be." He instructed. "Unless you want to hunt too, of course." He eyed me speculatively.

I took a moment to ponder over it. "Nah, I don't think I'm going to start hunting today."

Edward shrugged and pointed to the low tree branch again. I kissed him on the cheek and sat on the branch, watching him. "Don't forget to close your eyes." He warned. "There would be no need to worry about the sounds. We are quiet eaters."

I nodded, and closed my eyes. I did not want to put myself in another 'throw up situation' again. Soon, I realised that, with my eyes covered, I could hear sounds a lot better when I concentrated really hard. I could hear – even though they barely made a sound – that Edward was right in front of me, feeding, I guess. I could tell, from a mixture of their scents and sounds, that Esme and Carlisle had moved and were behind me. Alice and Jasper were on my left and Rosalie and Emmett were on my right. So, practically, feeding vampires surrounded me.

And the scent of the blood did not affect me at all – though I could pick out the rusty, metallic tang in the air. Then, a breeze blew and I caught a different scent – two different scents, in fact. They smelt nothing like any of the Cullens and certainly not of anything from the forest. Curious, I sniffed the air again, a little embarrassed by what I was doing, but intrigued by the scents all the same. It smelt like... vampires. But we were the only ones here, weren't we?

A loud snarl interrupted my pondering. And I debated with myself whether to open my eyes or not. The resounding snarl sounded again, – more menacingly this time – it was coming from in front of me, so I was certain that it was Edward. However, what – or who – had caused Edward to get upset? They were not the type to fight over food. Maybe I was right... and I _had _smelt vampires. Oh no, this would be a good time to open my eyes then.

Slowly, I peeked out from under my eyelids and true enough; Edward was in front of me – a dead deer lying in front of him – bent in a crouch. His sharp teeth had drops of blood on them and they were glistening in the dim light as he bared them at the intruders behind me. Bracing myself to meet with Victoria's vengeful features, I turned around. Instead of Victoria – as I had expected – two dark figures in grey cloaks billowing in the wind, stood there. Carlisle and Esme were not in a crouch, unlike Edward, but they stood there, effectively blocking me from the two figures. They were relaxed enough and the only signs of tension on them were the tightening of Carlisle's face and Esme's hands, which were balled into fists and hidden behind her back.

I had never seen Edward look so... dangerous before. Not even when James had almost attacked me. So, these hooded figures must be someone pretty threatening to me. As if on cue, they pulled down their hoods, revealing faces that I recognised almost at once, faces that I had no wish to see again – Demetri and Felix.

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen." Felix tilted his head, accompanied with a condescending smile.

"A good evening to you too." Carlisle replied politely. "Forgive me if I seem too forward, but may I ask what the purpose of this visit is? Surely you wouldn't travel all the way here for a social visit?"

"Far from it, Carlisle." Demetri answered. "Though our Master would be glad to see you."

"Ah, Aro, I suppose?"

"Yes." Felix answered shortly. "Let's just cut to the chase and get down to the purpose of our visit, shall we? I would love to stay and talk, but unfortunately, we are pretty busy and our Master has another mission for us after this."

I noticed that during this short conversation, everyone had inconspicuously edged closer to me, including Edward, who had planted himself right in front of me.

"I doubt you have forgotten this, but Edward has promised my Master something – something that he has yet to get done." Felix flashed an evil smirk at me, which had my stomach clenching in fear. His blood-red eyes glinted, and I knew he must have fed on someone recently. I gulped. "He has keep his part of the bargain – letting you leave Italy alive – but what about your side of the deal? Have you kept that as well?"

"Don't doubt my word, Felix. It's something I don't go back on." Edward snarled so fiercely that I had trouble hearing what he was saying in that sentence.

"Really?" Felix said with a smug look. "From what I can recall from your last visit, you didn't do so well to keep your word to this poor little girl over here, have you?"

Edward hissed at him threateningly – Felix had hit a soft spot, and he knew it. Felix looked extremely pleased with himself. I decided that it was time I stepped in, before Edward did something incredibly stupid that would have the whole Volteri after us. I leaped down from the tree branch with considerable grace, and landed silently onto the ground without a sound. Now, I was standing in front of Carlisle and Esme. "You don't need to worry about the deal, Edward has kept up his part of the bargain." I said, as confidently as I could, considering there were two vampires in front of me that thirsted for my blood.

"Is that so?" Felix sneered.

"Yes, I'm afraid it is so." I said, forcing an uncharacteristic sneer onto my face to match his own.

Felix looked livid, as if he had missed out on something he sorely wanted. "Prove it then."

Prove it? What could I do that was not life endangering in any way, and at the same time prove that Edward had changed me already? An idea struck me. "Are you sure you want me to?" I asked, in the most innocent voice I could muster.

"Of course I want you to. If I didn't, why would I have asked in the first place?" Felix spat, as Demetri stood next to him, watching me intently.

I could hear Carlisle restraining Edward from behind me but I tuned it out, concentrating on what I was going to do – it was something that I had never tried before. As quickly as I could, I kicked a medium-sized rock off the ground near my feet and into the air, with my reflexes much faster than before, I had no time to revel in what I had just did, but instinctively swung my foot at it with all my strength. With perfect aim, it landed exactly where I wanted it to – Felix's head.

Felix, within a split second, was being hurled into a tree by the rock, the impact shattering part of the tree trunk at the same time. Splinters flew everywhere, but all of them just bounced off my skin harmlessly. I gasped, surprised at the force at which the rock had hit Felix. Several other gasps were heard, and evidently, I was not the only one that was surprised. Demetri was stunned into silence. The birds in the tree flew away frantically, as the tree was slowly toppling down.

Felix lay still on the ground for a few minutes, the rock still on his head. I knew he was not injured in any way, merely shocked, I guessed. Then, lifting the rock off, he struggled up. The blow was not enough to injure him, but enough to prove to him that I was a vampire – no mere human would be able to knock down a big heavy tree with just a rock.

"Do you believe Edward now?" I asked innocently, walking over giving him my hand to pull him back up on his feet. Felix ignored my hand, choosing to stagger to his feet on his own. He didn't answer my question, and looked at me, a question in his eyes. He opened his mouth, and then changed his mind.

"It's good to see you have keep up your end of the deal. Our Master will be pleased. Now, if you'll excuse us, we have other things to take care off." With that, he faded into the gloomy shadows, along with Demetri who followed behind him after casting me one last curious glance.

There was a collective silence. And Emmett was the first one to break it. He let out a low whistle. "Bella, have you ever considered joining my football team?"

* * *

A/N: Haha. Personally, I find the last paragraph really funny, although I am not too sure about you, though. 

Thank you to: **_Addie W., T, thechosenMay, VisionGurl, fictionwarrior876, crytic-yet-simple, Serena, EDWARD CULLEN dazzles me, vampiresrock, blackjeans101, Var, GoodyGoody23, 1stepbehind29._**

I love reading through all the reviews that you send me. Heehee, they really brighten up my day. I suppose you know what to do! (:

Happy New Year!

P.S. This is the first update of the year. Haha.


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